Apparatus for curing ingrowing nails and infections caused by said ingrowing nails



March 7, 1950 F. N. CRONHOLMI A ,499,85l

CURING s INGROWING NAILS AND INFEC SED BY SAID INGROWING NAILS FiledFeb. 6, 1947 APPARATUS FOR CAU Patented Mar. 7, 1950 APPARATUS FOR CURING INGROWING NAILS AND INFECTIONS CAUSED BY SAID INGROWING NAILS Fredrik N. Cronholm, Salt Lake City, Utah Application February 6, 1947, Serial No. 726,750

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for curing ingrowing nails and the infections often caused thereby and is suitable for use in respect to both finger and toe nails. In the following description the invention is described in respect to toe nails but those skilled in the art will readily recognize the manner in which the invention can be practised in respect to finger nails.

The present invention can be used and practised on the hands or feet and still permit the use of the hands or feet and in respect to the feet a shoe can be worn while the apparatus is applied to the ingrowing nail or infected toe.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an improved method and apparatus of the character described which is highly efficient and which is simple and cheap of manufacture and which can be used and practised by an individual without the necessity of calling in a doctor.

Expressed in its most simple form the invention provides a method and apparatus for holding the flesh away from the normal path of growth of the nail until the nail is flush with the end of the finger or toe and the present invention has as an object the provision of a method and apparatus for accomplishing this result.

The objects, advantages and mode of operation of the invention will appear in more detail when the following description is read in the light of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the invention in use on a toe nail.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the flesh engaging plate of the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of the invention as applied to a toe nail.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the flesh engaging plate of the device of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a further modified form of the invention as applied to a toe nail.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the flesh engaging element illustrated in Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a detail view illustrating the manner of attachment of the adhesive to the flesh engaging element illustrated in Fig. 6.

Describing the invention in detail and referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, A is a toe and B the nail thereof. At either side of the nail the flesh of the toe extends upwardly as at I and 2 and in the case of an ingrowing nail or infected toe the present invention is designed and conceived to push flesh I away from one edge of the nail to permit the normal growth of the nail toward the end of 2 the toe and to cure any infection which is usually localized in the flesh l. Holding'the flesh from the nail prevents irritation and enables proper curative treatment.

A comparatively small plate C made of metal, plastic or some other suitable material has a base 3 provided with a curvature substantially that of the average toe nail and an upwardly and outwardly flared portion to provide an abutment 5 which extends throughout the width of the plate and is lower at its rear end 6 than at its front end.

This plate is suitably and properly secured to the toe by an adhesive strip or tape D or the like. This tape has one end 1 secured to the under face of the base and it then extends upwardly and over the top face of the base and across the abutment. The tape is sufiiciently elongated to extend from the abutment down the side of and around the toe and back over the plate as indicated at 8.

In use the plate is placed upon the toe nail with the abutment 5 thereof against the inner face of the flesh portion I of the toe. Suflicient stress is placed upon the tape 'D to push the toe flesh l away from and out of engagement with the side edge of the toe nail.

The device is sufiiciently small as to permit it to be worn while the foot is in a shoe which is also true of the modified forms of the invention which will now be described.

Referring to Figs. 3-4 inclusive there is again illustrated the toe A and the nail B and the adjacent upwardly extending toe flesh portions l and 2 at each side of the nail. In this instance there is a plate E having a body portion 9 having a curvature substantially that of the side of a toe and having at its upper end an inwardly and downwardly bent portion to provide a hook-like portion H) which extends throughout the width of the plate.

The manner of application of the plate E to the toe is clearly illustrated in Figure 4 from which it will be seen that one end II of an adhesive strip F, or the like, is secured to the inner face of the hook portion of the plate and extends over and around this plate portion and down across the main body portion of the plate and under, around and over the toe and is secured to the top of the toe as at l2.

In this form of the invention the flesh portion l of the toe is pulled away from the side of the nail B by properly adjusting the tension of the adhesive strip F. It Will be apparent that the size and configuration of the hook portion of the 3 plate is such as to properly receive and accommodate the rounded flesh portion I of the toe.

As between the two forms of the invention thus far described it might be said that the first form accomplishes the described results by pushing force upon the flesh portion I of the toe while in the second form it is accomplished by pulling force. In the third form of the invention the principle of a pulling force is illustrated and differs from the second form of the invention only in the specific means used for engaging the toe flesh portion I.

Describing the construction appearing in Figs. -7, G is the toe engaging element and is in the form of a suitably shaped piece of wire, or the like, and comprises an upper straight leg or arm I3 and a lower straight leg or arm I4. These are joined by an upright l5 having a curvature substantially that of the side of a toe A and an upper hook end I6 of the proper size and shape to accommodate the rounded toe flesh portion I.

The manner of application of this device will be seen in Fig. 5 wherein it appears that the arm or leg I3 lies along the base of the inner side of the toe flesh portion I with the hook portion I6 quite snugly fitting and receiving the rounded toe flesh portion I. An adhesive tape or band H encircles the lower leg or arm as at I! in Fig. 7, and extends around the toe and is secured to the top thereof rear of the nail as at I8. Suflicient tension is exerted upon the tape to pull the flesh portion l of the toe out of engagement with the side edge of the nail B.

It is believed that ordinarily the nails of humans are shaped properly and, barring accident or abuse, they seldom give trouble and that sides of nails which are out flush with the adjacent flesh are rarely infected, if however the nails are trimmed too short, broken, or otherwise abused it has been found that the best procedure in treatment. and correction is to hold the flesh away from the normal path of growth of the nail until the nail has grown suificiently to be flush with the end of the toe or finger. With this understanding the present method and apparatus has been conceived for the treatment and correction of ingrowing nails and for the cure of infected toes and fingers. It has been found that with the practice of the invention the fiesh at the sides of the nail can be trained to its normal position away from the path of growth of the nail.

The construction of the apparatus is extremely simple" as is also its application and use making it possible for an individual to use and apply it and to retain the use of his hands and feet. The apparatus is sufficiently small that it can be worn on the toe, without undue inconvenience, even when the foot is in a shoe.

It will be recognized that the several devices must be made as rights and lefts depending upon whether they are to be used on the fingers or toes of the left hand and left foot or the right hand and the right foot.

Preferably the devices of Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive will be shaped to fit the particular individual and to facilitate this the devices are made of some suitable pliable material. They can therefore be easily shaped by finger pressure. Very little shaping will be found necessary.

What I claim is:

1,. A device of the character described comprising, an element having a pair of straight spaced arms, an. upright interconnecting said arms having a shape substantially conforming to the contour of one side of a digit such as a toe or a finger, said upright at its upper end having a hook like portion adapted to overlie and receive the upwardly extending flesh of the digit at the side of the nail, and means securing said element to the digit and exerting an outward and downward pull upon the hook like portion thereof, for the purpose described.

2. A device of the character described comprising an element embodying, upper and lower straight spaced narrow arms, an upright interconnecting the arms at one of their ends, the upright being shaped throughout a considerable portion of its length to conform to the contour of one side of a digit such as a toe or a finger and terminating at its upper end in a hook-like portion adapted to overlie and receive the upwardly extending flesh of the digit at one side of the nail thereof, the upper arm extending forwardly of the digit and being disposed along one edge of the nail at its point of juncture with the upwardly extending flesh of the digit at the side of the nail, an adhesive strip having one end connected to the lower arm and extending around and over the toe, said strip being tensioned to exert a downward pull upon the element and having adhesive connection with the toe to maintain said tension.

FREDRIK N. CRONHOLM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 465,870 Marley Dec. 29, 1891 2,202,926 Schmidthofer June 4, 1940 2,342,530 Coates Feb. 22, 1944 

